Drive-chain.



No. 762,046. j

PATBNTED JUNE 7. 1904. W. H. GATES. DRIVE CHAIN. APPLIIOATION rum) MAR. 24, 1904 N0 MODEL.

lnuen tor &CLTT1H.;L\CL'1I A L o rneg A Patented June 7', 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

VVITJLIAM H. GATES, OF WVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

DRIVE-CHAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,046, dated June '7, 1904.

Application filed March 24, 19114.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAn H. GATEs,a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester an d Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Drive-Chains, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings forming a part of the same, in

which Figure 1 represents a side view of a portion of a drive-chain embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of thesame. Fig. 3'is a central sectional view. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the side links with one of the hinge-pins connected therewith. Fig. 5 is a perspective detached view of one of the hingepins, and Fig. 6 is a perspective View of one of the elastic retaining-plates for holding the hingepins against movement in the slotted ends of the side links.

Similar reference figures refer to similar parts in the different views.

My present invention relates to that class of drive-chains (501111 rising central links pivoted to hinge-pins which are held in the ends of connecting detachable side links; and the object of my invention is to prevent the hingepins from sliding in the slotted ends of the side links, which would enable the latter to be detached; and it consists in the employment of an elastic plate covering that portion of the slot in the side link not occupied by the hingepin and provided with means for holding the retaining-plug in position, said means consisting of a pair of prongs at one end of the plate adapted to engage a neck or reduced portion of the hinge-pin and having an elastic tongue which projects into the slot of the side link, with the end of the tongue abutting against the end wall of the slot in order to hold the retaining-plate from longitudinal movement, and thereby prevent the forked end of the retaining-plate from being disengaged from the hinge-pin. The novel features of my device are fully described imthe following specification and pointed out in the annexed claims.

Referring to the drawings, 1 denotes the central links of the drive chain. 2 and 3 are Serial No. 199,695. (No model.)

connecting side links, said side links being arranged in pairs and carrying at theiropposite ends hinge-pins 4 and 5, upon which the central links 1 1 are pivoted. Thehinge-pins, one of which is shown in detached view in Fig. 5,are preferably slabbed or flattened on opposite sides at one end, as at 6 6, Fig. 5, and the flattened end is inserted in a correspondingly-shaped hole 7 in one end of a side link, the pins being slightly headed, as at 8,to prevent their removal from the side links.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, the hinge-pin 1 is held in a fixed position on one end of the side link 2, and the hinge-pin 5 is held in a fixed position in the opposite end of the opposite side link 3. The opposite or free ends of the hinge-pins are slabbed orfiattened on opposite sides, as at 12 12, to reduce the size of the pin and form a neck having shoulders 13 13. The side links 2 3 are provided with slots 14, the width of which are equal to the thickness of the neck of the hinge-pins or the distance between the flattened sides 12 12. The inner ends of the slots 1 1 have acircular enlargement, as at 15, equal to the diameter of the hinge-pin.

In assembling the parts of the chain the hingepins are inserted through the central links 1 1,

which are moved towardeach other to bring the hinge pins opposite the circular openings 15, which allows the hinge-pins to be inserted through the side links. The hinge-pins are then moved apart to carry the flattened portions 12 12 into the narrow slots 14, with the shoulders 13 projecting slightly beyond the outer sides 16 of the side links. The hingepins are then held from moving in the slots 14: by means of a retaining-plate 17, and the retaining-plate 17, one of which is shown in perspective view of Fig. 6, consists of a thin steel plate having one end bifurcated to form prongs 18 18, said bifurcated end beingadapted to slide over the flattened surface 12 of the hinge-pins with the prongs 18 18 beneath the shoulders 13 and with the plate resting upon the outer surface of the side link and covering the remainder of the slot 14. Near the central portion of the plate 17 1 form an elastic tongue 19, which is bent downward into the circular enlargement of the slot, with its free end in contact with the end wall 21 of the slot. As the bifurcated end of the plate 17 is in contact with the hinge-pin and the free end of the elastic tongue 19 is in contact with the end wall 21 of the slot, the plate is thereby held from longitudinal movement in either direction and is retained against the outer surface 16 of the side link by the engagement of its prongs 18 with the shoulders 13 of the hinge-pin. The opposite end 22 of the elastic plate is bent upwardly from the side link to enable the end to be engaged by some instrument, such as a screw-driver or a knife-blade, by which the end 22 of the plate may be lifted suificiently to clear the tongue '19 from the slot and enable the plate to be withdrawn from the hinge-pin.

The retaining-plates 17 are made of thin pieces of sheet-steel which are sufficiently elastie to allow them to be withdrawn in the manner described above and to be again applied to the hinge-pins by pushing the prongs l8 beneath the shoulders 13, with the plate lying upon the outer surface of the side link, the elastic tongue 19 then being lifted by its contact with the side link until the free end of the tongue reaches the slot in the side link, when it springs into position in contact with the end wall of the slot. The retaining-plates not only hold the hinge-pins from movement within the slots, but they also cover that portion of the slot not occupied by the hinge-pin and prevent the admission of dirt.

What I claim as my invention,'and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a drive-chain, the combination of a side link having a slot to receive a hinge-pin, a hinge-pin having a neck inclosed in one end of said slot, and a retaining-plate having prongs at one end engaging the neck of the hinge-pin, and an elastic tongue entering the slot, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a side link having a slot to receive a hinge-pin, a hinge-pin held in one end of said slot, and means for retaining said hinge-pin consisting of an elastic plate having prongs engaging said hinge-pin, and an elastic tongue entering said slot, substantially as described.

3. A drive-chain comprising a slotted side link and a hinge-pin held therein, a retaining plate for holding said hinge-pin from movement in the slotted side link, consisting of an elastic steel plate, having a bifurcated end engaging said hinge-pin, an elastic tongue entering said slot and an upturned end, substantially as described.

Dated this 17th day of March, 1904.

WILLIAM H. GATES.

Witnesses:

PENELOPE CoMBERBAoH, RUFUS B. FOWLER. 

